


Rising Tides

by Tsorin



Category: Magi: The Labyrinth of Magic
Genre: Also I know that CassMor isn't really a thing but come on it'll be great, Cassim Lives AU, Except Judal, F/M, Fog Troop Shenanigans, I should also mention that I am not a Sinbad fan., I'll be going with the official Viz spellings, Just as a heads up...
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-11-23
Updated: 2017-05-23
Packaged: 2018-09-01 19:35:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 9,463
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8635426
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tsorin/pseuds/Tsorin
Summary: “I should have… talked to you more.”
“No!”
Alibaba refuses to let Cassim die. Cassim joins the gang as they flee to Sindria in search of answers. This changes everything.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So I have some more of this written, but I can't guarantee regular updates. This is more me testing the waters, you dig?
> 
> Want to talk about this AU with me? Hit me up on my tumblr - tsorin.tumblr.com

“I should have… talked to you more.”

“No!”

Alibaba reached out, grabbed Cassim’s hand, and held on for everything he was worth. The world twisted and warped as the Djinn fell apart around them. Alibaba felt Cassim’s fingers flicker in his own and held on even tighter.

“Alibaba,” Cassim said. “What are you doing?”

“You think I’m just going to let you go?” Alibaba said. Rage bubbled underneath his skin. Rage at Cassim, who wanted to run away from the possibilities that living could promise. Rage at himself, who claimed to be Cassim’s friend and brother but couldn’t see that Cassim was struggling. “After everything you said? I’ve finally started to see what’s going on with you and _I won’t let you walk away from me damnit_!”

Cassim turned to look at him in shock and Alibaba breathed a sigh of relief because Cassim was solid again and Alibaba felt the warmth of a hand in his own. Tears welled up in his eyes and the look of shock on Cassim’s face was replaced by one of fond disgust.

There was a snap, like a string going taut, and Alibaba was jerked backward by his waist. In the suddenness, he almost lost hold of Cassim, but Cassim held on and the two of them were forcibly pulled out of the Djinn. Alibaba got a face full of dirt while Cassim landed gracefully beside him.

“Show off,” Alibaba grumbled without heat.

The Djinn exploded in a burst of light. From that light, images of fallen friends and family members appeared in order to comfort those still alive. As Cassim watched, Alibaba saw his mother and father together for the first time. He cried, of course. It made Cassim want to laugh.

A small hand slipped into his own.

Cassim looked down and saw the face that had haunted him, waking and sleeping, for years. He didn’t breathe as his eyes met Mariam’s. What could he possibly say to her? Did she realize how far into the darkness he’d gone? The horrible things he’d done?

Mariam smiled at him and reached her arms out for a hug.

Cassim broke.

Alibaba turned away from the fading images of his parents and found Cassim desperately hugging the fading image of Mariam. When he got closer, he could finally hear Cassim repeating something under his breath.

“I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.”

“There’s nothing to be sorry for,” Alibaba said. “Mariam knows that you did everything you could.” Seeing her now, the guilt burned in his chest. “I’m the one that should be apologizing. I could have done something at the palace. I could have tried harder and maybe Mariam would still…”

“Don’t finish that sentence,” Cassim said. “I’m tired of being angry at you.”

The rukh faded. There was a moment of calm, a brief moment, and Alibaba thought there might still be a chance everything would turn out alright.

He was wrong.

When the palace guards saw that Cassim was still standing, weaponless or not, they rushed him, threw him to the ground. Balkirk appeared at Alibaba’s side and tried to pull him away.

“He’s dangerous, your highness,” the general said. “He must be arrested, tried –“

“Leave him alone, damn it!”

Even with his body still aching from fighting the Djinn, Alibaba managed to free himself and fight his way through to Cassim’s side. Had Cassim been anyone else, Alibaba might not have acted. Cassim had done horrible things, but they were the actions of a desperate man, trying to save people the only way he could see how.

And he was Alibaba’s friend.

So he placed himself between Cassim and the guards. He took out the remains of his dagger and prepared to summon what little magoi he had remaining. He hadn’t been able to do anything to help Cassim before, but now he was determined to save him.

“Alibaba.”

Sinbad could part crowds like no one Alibaba had ever seen before. He stood before Alibaba, metal vessels draped over every part of his body. Beside him were Aladdin and Morgiana. Aladdin was his usual cheerful self, but Morgiana watched Cassim with suspicion. It made Alibaba sad, but he knew that she had a reason for it. Aladdin hadn’t seen Cassim turn a peaceful revolution into a bloody war. Morgiana had.

“Sinbad,” Alibaba said. He didn’t lower his blade.

“We need to arrest him,” Sinbad said. “He committed crimes against the citizens of Balbadd. He will be tried, and a jury will decide his punishment.”

“He was only trying-“

Sinbad cut him off.

“I know that he is your friend, Alibaba. But the laws cannot apply differently to some people than to others. That is not how a republic works. Or were your words before only childish ideals?”

Sinbad was everything that Alibaba desired to be one day. Brave. Charismatic. Powerful. A true leader. His words held more weight than almost anyone else.

Less than Aladdin’s. And less than…

“Do what he says, Alibaba,” Cassim said, getting to his feet. “He’s got a point. I can take whatever this royal ass can dish out.”

Alibaba hesitated. In the old Balbadd, Cassim’s punishment – a traitor’s punishment – would be death. But perhaps in the new Republic of Balbadd, circumstances would be taken into account.

Cassim’s presence behind Alibaba was a familiar one, even after five years apart. Even after numerous betrayals, lies, and hurt that weighed so heavy Alibaba couldn’t breathe, even after Alibaba facing that his best friend – his brother – had started a war so that he could become king… Even after that…

Sinbad was a good king. But three years in the palace had taught Alibaba that a good king was not necessarily a good person. Sinbad seemed like a good person. Alibaba really hoped that he was.

But he was not going to risk Cassim’s life, so recently snatched from death, on a hope.

He didn’t get the chance to protest because a slow roar was rolling through the crowd. Whispers becoming words becoming shouts of confusion and terror. Alibaba heard only one word clearly.

Kou.

The sound of fighting came from the direction of the harbor, but it was quickly growing louder. Saving Cassim had thrown a blanket of relief over Alibaba but the conflicts of the world that had not vanished in that one moment of triumph ripped that relief away. Princess Kougyoku had said that she would need to consult with her superiors before any decision was made. The fleet of ships now perched at the edge of the port said otherwise.

“Sin!” Ja’far appeared at his king’s side. “Kou Empire troops are storming the castle.”

“Alibaba. You can’t be found here,” Sinbad said. “You either, Aladdin. You cannot be captured by the Kou Empire. Go down to the port. The ships of the Seven Seas Alliance are docked there. Get on one of them – any one – and you should be safe. Masrur, go with them. Keep them safe.”

The large man that had come with Ja’far nodded. He was huge!

The weight of the promises he had made to Balbadd’s people was a heavy one. Alibaba had promised to ensure that a new, equal country would rise from the ashes of the old. He had the experience with the operations of a republic. Even now his mind was running through the steps that would need to be taken to make Balbadd a place of freedom.

Alibaba wanted to be there to see the new Balbadd. He wanted to be a part in making that country. It was unthinkable that he should leave now.

“What do you think we should do, Alibaba?” Aladdin said.

Aladdin was waiting for his decision. The look on his face said that he would support whatever decision Alibaba made. Morgiana, behind him, was also waiting for his response. If Alibaba wanted to stay, he knew those two would do whatever it took to make it happen.

Alibaba couldn’t ask that of them.

Even though every part of him was screaming to stay, to risk his life, _to take responsibility and stop running away…_

But Alibaba couldn’t put Aladdin in danger.

He must have made some kind of sign of agreement because Sinbad’s attention was shifting away, talking with the giant man and Ja’far, trying to figure out the best way to get Alibaba and Aladdin to safety.

“I’ll go with them,” Cassim said suddenly.

Sinbad frowned at the suggestion and Alibaba was waiting for him to deny Cassim but Cassim hadn't finished speaking.

“As strong as that guy is, they’ll stick out like a sore thumb. I know the streets of Balbadd well. I can get us there without being seen.”

Alibaba might have grown up in the slums, but the layout of the city had changed so much, especially with the destruction of the slums, that Alibaba didn’t have any faith in his ability to lead. Cassim had planned most of the Fog Troop’s raids. It was a sound suggestion.

Sinbad had clearly come to the same conclusion because even though his eyes expressed his distrust of Cassim, he nodded in agreement.

“Go. Ja’far and I will try to stall.”

Cassim led them to the entrance of the tunnel as Sinbad and Ja’far made their way to the palace gates. As they left, Alibaba cast a glance upwards to the balcony and caught sight of Ahbmad and Sahbmad. There wasn’t time to speak so Alibaba just lifted a hand to his brothers and wished for their safety.

The tunnel was just as Alibaba remembered it. Dark and dry. The light from the entrance faded quickly and soon they were maneuvering in complete darkness. Despite this, Aladdin was the only one having any trouble. Morgiana, who had also joined them, and Masrur were both Fanalis and were probably relying on senses other than sight. Alibaba had traveled this path in more nightmares than he could count until the path was seared into his mind.

The less said about Cassim leading them without error, the better.

Aladdin tripped over another rock and Alibaba caught him before he could faceplant into the dirt.

When they finally emerged back into the light, Alibaba had to throw a hand across his eyes to keep from being blinded. Even though the exit to the tunnel was hidden at the end of a garbage-filled alley, they could hear the sound of running people. Alibaba could see movement at the other end of the alley and started to move in that direction.

Cassim’s hand on his elbow held him back.

“Give me a second to take a look. And cover up your hair. You stick out like a sore thumb.”

He didn’t have his headwrap so Alibaba took the sash draped over his shoulders and wrapped it over his head, hiding the distinctive Saluja blonde hair.

It hadn’t been until he lived in the palace that he realized how distinctive it was and, more importantly, why. The King had long gone grey and his brothers had the dark hair of their mother. The first time he saw a portrait of the king when he was young, Alibaba had thought he was looking in a mirror. It certainly explained the whispers that had surrounded him when he had first arrived at the palace. That a bastard child of the slums would have the royal Saluja hair when the heir to the throne did not…

It was why he’d kept his hair covered whenever they went raiding. Not many people had remembered the Saluja hair with Ahbmad in power, but Alibaba’s latest antics had probably left it burned into the minds of Balbadd’s people and being recognized by even a well-meaning citizen at this point could spell disaster.

Masrur also tried to disguise himself by covering most of his armor with discarded rags. It helped to an extent. He would still tower over everyone in the crowd, but now at least the glare of his armor wouldn’t be seen from fifty meters.

“Come on,” Cassim ordered, motioning to them. Alibaba moved automatically, with Aladdin and Morgiana following behind him. Masrur brought up the rear, casting glances behind them to make sure they were not being followed.

It took them thirty nerve-wracking minutes to make their way to the port. Cassim didn’t speak the entire time except to give them orders.

“Wait here.”

“Move as soon as his back is turned.”

“Over the rooftops.”

They finally dropped over the side of a roof and landed in the shadows next to the entrance of one of the many bars that lined the edge of the port, welcoming sailors to dry land. Alibaba suddenly recognized where they were, although he had certainly never taken that route to get there. Cassim hesitated.

“Which ship?”

This would be the most difficult part of the trip. Even though most of the Kou troops had been deployed within the city, some still lingered, guarding the several ships in the harbor. Masrur pointed to three ships closest to them.

“Any of those,” he said. “Although that ship belongs to Sinbad. It would be best to board that one if we can.”

They did. There was a moment when Alibaba thought they might have been caught by the Kou princess who was boarding one of the ships, her loyal manservant at her side, but it seemed that all their attention was focused on the injured Judal who was being transported on a stretcher beside them and so they passed by Alibaba and the others none the wiser.

Sinbad chose the flashiest and grandest hotel to stay in when he came to Balbadd and that was clearly just a taste of his preference for the nicer things because his ship was the most majestic that Alibaba had ever seen. The exterior was shining smooth, the sides covered with barnacles. The deck was large spacious. There was even a lounging area, where Alibaba suspected that Sinbad spent much of his time.

Below deck, each room was lavishly decorated, especially the staterooms. Masrur showed them to a large one, with two fine beds and a seating area, and left them there with a promise to stay put.

“What do you think will happen, Alibaba?” Aladdin asked. He’d settled on one of the beds, his staff and bag discarded at the foot of it. Morgiana followed suit, removing her sandals and sitting beside Aladdin one the bed.

Alibaba tore off the scarf covering his head with a sigh of relief. He also stripped down to his undershirt and took a seat on the other bed. He placed the remains of his dagger on the bed beside him.

“Nothing good,” he said. “I thought we might be able to buy some time by sending the princess back to the Empire to talk to the Emperor. I didn’t think they would have already sent an army with her.” Alibaba hadn’t paid much attention to the Kou delegation, his mind occupied with other things. Now he was kicking himself for it. “Sinbad will probably be able to stall because he’s the leader of the Seven Seas Alliance and they definitely have they power to go toe to toe with the Kou. But I don’t think either side wants war.”

“That’s good, right?” Aladdin said. He reached across the space between the beds to pat Alibaba’s arm. “Nobody will get hurt that way.”

“But Balbadd doesn’t have anyone to stand for it right now,” Alibaba said. “Sinbad says he’ll try to talk to the Kou but he has his own worries. And neither Ahbmad nor Sahbmad have any kind of power right now.” The thought of the Seven Seas Alliance and the Kou Empire clashing with Balbadd caught in the middle made Alibaba’s heart ache. “There’s nothing I can do now – not as a prince or even as the leader of the Fog Troop. I’m useless.”

“You are _not_ useless,” said an angry voice from the doorway.

Cassim had lingered in the entrance, as though uncertain of just where he would be welcome. But now he marched to Alibaba and gripped his arms, forcing Alibaba to look up from his lap to meet Cassim’s eyes.

“My plan might have failed. Your plan might have failed. But we _are_ going to try again.” Cassim sat down beside him and slung an arm over Alibaba’s shoulder. “Right, partner?”

Alibaba took a deep breath to steady himself. He wanted to break down and run away. But that hadn’t done him any good the last time. The results of that had been disastrous and had almost cost all of his friends their lives. Alibaba would not let that happen again.

He looked up to see Aladdin watching them with a gentle smile on his face. Morgiana was watching too, though her eyes kept straying to Cassim with a guarded look. When Alibaba met her eyes, she smiled too.

“We can do it together,” he said, as much to Aladdin and Morgiana as to Cassim. “The four of us.”

“Right,” Aladdin said. “Together, we can do anything.”


	2. Chapter 2

The tense waiting stretched into the night. Finally, at the urging of Masrur, Alibaba and Aladdin fell asleep on one of the large beds. Morgiana remained on edge, perched at the foot of the bed as if ready to strike. She wasn’t facing the door however.

As he was falling asleep, Alibaba watched Cassim. The older boy sat on a ledge next to the propped open window. Before long, he pulled out a cigar and lit it, blowing the smoke out the open window.

The sight of Cassim blowing slow smoke rings was what Alibaba fell asleep to. He didn’t think he’d sleep much, but his battle against Cassim had worn him out more than he had guessed.

The chaos of the previous night was gone. Alibaba woke to the sounds of a harbor already in the midst of the day’s work. Aladdin was a warm body pressed to his back. He sat up with a groan. As if it were a signal, Morgiana was suddenly at his side.

“We haven’t heard anything from Sinbad yet,” she said. “The Kou soldiers withdrew to the ships a few hours ago.”

“Where’s…” He couldn’t remember the large guy’s name.

“Masrur is on deck, keeping watch.”

An awkward, anticipating silence filled the room as Aladdin slept on.

“And Cassim?”

“I believe he went looking for food,” Morgiana replied stiffly.

“Listen, Morgiana…”

“I understand that he is your friend.” Morgiana said. “But he still hurt you and Aladdin. I cannot bring myself to trust him. Please understand.”

Morgiana was still something of a mystery to Alibaba. She seemed so serious all of the time. She was beautiful when she smiled. And, for some crazy reason, she had devoted herself to Alibaba. Alibaba was always afraid of failing the trust she had placed in him. But now, for a moment, he thought he might understand her thoughts a bit.

“I… Sure. Thank you. By the way.”

Morgiana looked at him in confusion.

“I wouldn’t have been able to talk about the thing with Cassim if you hadn’t… well… kidnapped me. Brought me to Aladdin. It really was the right thing to do.” When he looked back at her, face red, he found himself unable to guess what she was thinking.

Morgiana reminded him a bit of Cassim in that way.

“You’re welcome,” she said after a moment when it became apparent he didn’t have anything further to add.

“Do you want to go on deck?” he asked. “I kind of want to ask Masrur what he thinks is happening.”

He stood up and shook out his clothes. Red marks from where some of the coarse fabric had imprinted on his skin ran up his left arm. He turned to face Morgiana, whose expression had soured.

“What’s wrong?” Alibaba said.

“It’s nothing.”

The corridors of the ship were as grandiose as the rest of the ship. Every so often, hanging on the walls, were pictures and images that Alibaba assumed must have been from Sinbad’s travels. It was hard to resist the urge to stop at every one and place it within the frame of Sinbad’s story. But when they finally came up onto the deck and the sea wind blew across his face, Alibaba felt something like contentment.

Masrur was leaning against the railing of the ship’s bow. He turned to face them when Alibaba and Morgiana approached. Like Morgiana, he got the oddest look on his face for a split second. Alibaba almost asked him about it, but Masrur spoke first.

“Did you sleep well?”

“Um… It was fine,” Alibaba said nervously. There was something about Masrur that was unsettling. It might have been his eyes, which were like those of a predator watching its prey. Or it might have been the way his body was so purposefully still, conserving energy until it was time to strike.

Or it might have been the fact that Alibaba had no idea what to say to the man.

With Alibaba’s nervousness and Morgiana and Masrur quiet natures, a silence soon fell over them. Alibaba watched the waves lap at the side of the boat and tried not to babble. Babbling never ended well for him.

His stomach growled.

He flushed as both Masrur and Morgiana turned to look at him.

“I guess I haven’t had breakfast,” he said. “Where is the kitchen?”

“Right here,” said a smooth voice.

Cassim tossed him half of a fig, then laughed as Alibaba scrambled to catch it. Alibaba glared at him. It set Cassim off again.

“You’ve got something on your face,” he said.

When Alibaba reached up and felt the fabric weave pressed onto his face, he flushed red. After a moment of thought, he turned to Morgiana, who was now clearly trying to stifle her laughs.

“You could have said something!” Alibaba said.

“I wasn’t…” Morgiana started to say.

“She was only trying to preserve your dignity,” Cassim said. He took a bite of his fig, chewed slowly, and swallowed. “Well, what there is left of it, at any rate.”

“You…!”

Alibaba lunged for Cassim, intent on his revenge, but Cassim’s dodge and toss almost led to Alibaba plunging into the ocean.

He wasn’t exactly threatening, dangling from Morgiana’s hand as he glared at Cassim, but it wasn’t like Cassim noticed. Cassim leaned against the side of the ship, laughing so hard tears gathered in the corners of his eyes. A glance at Morgiana showed that she was smiling too. Even Masrur’s face was a smidge less stony.

“I hate you all,” Alibaba said flatly to Masrur’s foot.

“What could we have done to earn your ire so early in the morning, Alibaba?” said a familiar voice. “Though I must say I am pleased to see you so energetic.”

Sinbad did not show any trace of what must have been a late night. His eyes were bright, alert, and captivating. When he smiled, Alibaba could almost forget what tidings he was likely bringing.

Morgiana carefully lowered Alibaba to rest on the deck. Alibaba scrambled to his feet, his face flushing as he did so. To think that King Sinbad – _the_ Sinbad – had seen him in such a state was more than he could stand. Hopefully the king attributed his flushed face having been dangled by his ankle for several minutes.

“And how are you this morning, Morgiana?” Sinbad asked the girl.

“I am well.”

“And you?”

Cassim’s temper flared predictably at being addressed. He would see it as pity from the victor, Alibaba knew. It had always happened after their games and usually ended up in a fistfight on the ground. But it had been years and surely Cassim had changed…

“Go to hell.”

…or not.

But it didn’t seem to faze Sinbad in the slightest. He nodded before turning back to Alibaba.

“And where is Aladdin? Still in bed?”

“Not any more.”

Aladdin’s voice was still rough with sleep and there was hair sticking put of his braid. He looked startlingly young. How old was he? He had to be younger than Alibaba himself. Unless he was just small?

“Let’s adjourn to my chambers,” Sinbad said. He spun Alibaba around and steered Alibaba deeper into the ship with a firm hand on his shoulder. “I’m afraid I have news.”

 

Sinbad sat at the head of a large table that would not have been out of place in Balbadd’s palace. Alibaba had been about to sit to his left but Cassim had grabbed his arm and shoved him into the seat opposite Sinbad. The length of the table was large, but not large enough to keep Alibaba from feeling stared at.

Cassim sat on Alibaba’s right. His hand lingered on Alibaba’s arm a moment longer before withdrawing to rest on the dagger that was always at his waist. To that day, Alibaba couldn’t recall ever seeing his friend use it.

Morgiana and Aladdin sat to Alibaba’s left. Morgiana untied Aladdin’s braid, running her hands through blue strands in an attempt to straighten the mess before re-braiding it. Aladdin handed her his hair tie with a smile of thanks.

“If everyone is ready?” Sinbad said.

Alibaba looked away from Aladdin and Morgiana to meet Sinbad’s eyes. Earlier they had been amused. Now they were as serious as an assassin’s blade.

“What happened?” Alibaba could no longer contain himself. “What’s happening with the government? The people? Is everyone okay?”

“There were some people killed in the initial clash, before the cease-fire was called. However, there have been no deaths since and, if we keep our accord with Prince Kouen, it should remain that way,” Ja’far said.

“What accord?” Cassim said.

“Unfortunately, I could not get Kouen to agree to withdraw his troops,” Sinbad said. “The Kou have invested much in this country and they will not withdraw without seeing that investment through. I did manage to persuade them to allow Balbadd the independence of self-governing. It will become a republic, though one under the control of the Kou Empire.”

It was almost more than Alibaba could have hoped for. His desperate plan, to turn Balbadd into a new country that would be excused from the debts of the old, had been just that – a desperate, foolish plan, only intended to buy Balbadd time until another path could be found.

It was a testament to Sinbad’s influence that he had managed to get the Kou to buy into it.

“Your brothers have been sentenced to exile. As have the both of you.” Sinbad looked at both Alibaba and Cassim. “You are to never again set foot within Balbadd. The arrangement about the governing of Balbadd hinges on your agreement.”

Was there really any other choice but to agree? Alibaba would do whatever it took to keep his country and his people safe. He refused to be selfish – not after how the last time had turned out. No, he was already being selfish, trying to keep Cassim alive and free.

Cling to stubborn pride that only he could change Balbadd for the better, or put his own wishes aside and make sure his beloved country would be kept free from more bloodshed.

If Alibaba had to guess, he could see a similar thought process going on in Cassim’s eyes. Cassim had less to loose – the only thing waiting for him in Balbadd was death or imprisonment. But he also had more to prove, and Cassim with something to prove…

Well, there was a whole failed revolution proving that such a thing never ended well.

“I had hoped to convince Kouen to allow Alibaba to stay, even if his brothers were exiled. Alibaba has never made a formal claim to the throne and his popularity with the people would make him a useful figurehead. But after his ties with Cassim were revealed, Prince Kouen decided it would be too dangerous to let him remain.”

Cassim could no longer hear Sinbad’s words. Rage blinded him, filled his ears with soundless noise. He knew that Alibaba was watching him. Cassim didn’t know what his friend was watching for. An outburst? It would do Cassim no good to deny Sinbad’s words. Once again, Cassim’s presence was dragging Alibaba down, taking Alibaba away from the place that he was needed. All because Cassim was selfish.

The rage that filled him was not directed at Sinbad (well, not solely), but at himself. It was the kind of rage that made Cassim want to lash out. To break things. To break people.

Cassim did not say a word as he got to his feet and left. Alibaba was about to go after him, but Morgiana was faster, leaving Alibaba and Aladdin alone with Sinbad and his advisors.

“What do you think, Alibaba?” Aladdin said, drawing Alibaba’s attention. “What should we do next?”

Aladdin’s hand gripped the flute that had once contained Ugo and Alibaba felt the weight of Aladdin’s trust in him. Aladdin believed that Alibaba would make the right choice. They could not return to Balbadd – that path was now closed to them. But that was only preventing them from going back. Alibaba could not think of a way of moving forward.

“If I might make a suggestion,” Ja’far spoke up, “would you perhaps like to spend some time in Sindria?”

Visit Sindria? It had been one of Alibaba’s greatest dreams for a long time. And now, cut off from Balbadd, there was nothing keeping him from it. But Sindra was something that was supposed to happen after Alibaba had redeemed himself in Balbadd. Going now felt almost like cheating.

“What do you think, Aladdin?” Alibaba asked. Aladdin wouldn’t be weighed down by the guilt that was eating at Alibaba. He would be able to see the situation clearly, without distractions. Aladdin would make the right choice.

At least, that was Alibaba’s reasoning.

“Sure!” Aladdin said after a moment. “Sounds like a lot of fun, right Alibaba?”

“I will arrange to have some of my friends train you,” Sinbad said. “We have a very talented magician who can teach you magic, Aladdin. And we have an expert in swordsmanship if Alibaba is interested.”


	3. Chapter 3

Being outside, under the open sky, and _away_ from Alibaba and Sinbad helped a bit. But not a lot.

Sinbad’s ship was docked at the end of the port. Even with all the excitement of the day before, work still had to be done and numerous fishermen were making their boats ready to go out for the day. Cassim watched the boat closest to them as its owner tied its sails into place and cast out for the open water.

Balbadd was so close. Yet if Cassim were to put even a toe onto the dock, he would be arrested and imprisoned before he could blink by the Kou soldiers that now patrolled the area.

The angry flames of rage that burned within him, sometimes embers but never truly gone, flared at the thought.

“What do you want?” he said without looking at the person who had followed him.

Morgiana was incomprehensible to him. Alibaba had mentioned her a bit, when he had first returned to Balbadd. But that talk had petered off as Alibaba had focused on dealing with the Fog Troop. In that short amount of time, Cassim had learned that Morgiana was pretty, that she had once been a slave, and that she was strong.

There was “strong” and then there was “able to throw a several ton monster across a courtyard”. Alibaba had understated things a bit.

Since meeting her only a few days ago, Cassim had come to some observations of his own.

Morgiana was fierce. Cassim had never seen anyone fight the way she did, trusting her own strength and speed to overcome any foe. In the midst of battle, something about her made you pause, made you stop and stare and admire.

She was devoted. Alibaba had admitted to only knowing her for a few days, yet still she had forced herself into their problems. She had believed in Alibaba through everything, almost as much as that Aladdin kid.

She was dangerous. Alibaba had been a different person after she had talked to him that night in Balbadd. Less willing to take Cassim at his word. More willing to argue. Cassim hadn’t liked seeing Alibaba as a stranger. And it was all traceable back to Morgiana.

“Please stay away from Alibaba,” Morgiana said.

“Excuse me?”

“Your presence is bad for Alibaba. As you are now, you will keep him from doing what he needs to do.” Morgiana was perfectly polite as she spoke. “Please stay away from him.”

“Who do you think you are?” Cassim said. His hand slid into his shirt and grasped the handle of _that_ dagger, wishing for a moment that his magic sword hadn’t been destroyed. “Alibaba’s my friend.”

“Friend’s don’t lie to friends. Friends don’t use friends. Friends don’t _betray_ friends.”

Morgiana moved closer as she spoke. Cassim had to remind himself that Morgiana wouldn’t hurt him. Probably. He tried to bite back the anger, the rage, that wanted to spill out. It had gotten him nowhere before…

“The hell do you know?” he found himself yelling. “Do you know what it’s like to see everyone dying around you, while the nobles don’t give a shit? There will always be trash after all.” For a moment, he was there again, holding Mariam’s hand as she faded away, watching Zaynab and Hassan crying over their starving and dying siblings. For a moment, he couldn’t breathe. “I- We had to do something!”

Alibaba understood that. Alibaba always understood. It was something that Cassim had hated in him when they were younger but now he found himself leaning on it. Even if Morgiana didn’t like him, even if she tried to chase him away. Alibaba wouldn’t let her. Alibaba understood.

_When had he gotten so weak?_ The Weapons Dealer whispered in his head.

**_Shut up!_ **

“And that was the answer you found?” Morgiana said. “Starting a war? Getting more people killed? Getting Alibaba killed?”

Cassim wanted to protest that it had not been his intentions but even he knew better. He had known what would happen when he stormed the palace. It just hadn’t seemed to matter at the time.

“I was wrong,” he was able to admit. “I lost sight of what we wanted.”

“What happens the next time someone is a barrier to your goal? What happens the next time you and Alibaba disagree about something? Will you fall to depravity again?”

Cassim still didn't know what this whole ‘falling to depravity’ thing meant, only that it was something that he’d done and Alibaba had saved him from.

“It will _never_ happen again,” He vowed. As he said it, he knew it was true. He might not have had Mariam any more. He might not have had Zaynab and Hassan and the Fog Troop (how were they were they okay were they captured). But he could still protect Alibaba.

But Morgiana’s face was cold as stone.

“Prove it.”

 

After a few days – possibly the most awkward Alibaba had ever been a part of since those first few days in the Fog Troop when he wasn’t sure if he wanted to hug Cassim or hit him – the ship made port at a small island chain part of the way to Sindria.

Ja’far was explaining the island’s significance to an enraptured Aladdin – the island was a protectorate of Sindria and used primarily by their ships as a restocking point, which worked out well for everyone involved. Alibaba might have stayed to listen but Cassim was drifting away into the crowd of the island’s inhabitants who had come to welcome them.

It wasn’t that he was worried about Cassim doing… something, Alibaba kept telling himself. None of them should be wandering alone, even with this island being trusted by Sinbad the way it was. He was just worried for Cassim’s safety. Cassim who had come out of a confrontation with Aladdin mostly unscratched…

“What are you doing Alibaba?”

A leg appeared from an alley between two buildings and hooked neatly around his leg. Alibaba went down like a sack of potatoes.

“Shit!”

Cassim laughed and Alibaba felt a surge of relief when the mirth in Cassim’s eyes was genuine that wasn’t quite dwarfed by the irritation of having his best friend trick him. Again.

“That doesn’t sound like very princely language to me,” Cassim said. “Didn’t they teach you better at the palace?”

“I’ll show you better language!”

Alibaba reached out for Cassim’s right leg and pulled, yanking his friend down to him and using the momentum to pull himself up. Cassim grabbed Ailbaba’s shirt and tried to pull him into a chokehold. The ensuing struggle was competitive to the extreme and Alibaba forgot all of his other concerns, not to mention the crowd watching with growing horror, as he focused on not getting killed by Cassim.

Cassim pulled on his left arm and Alibaba could feel the pain where going just a bit further would dislocate his shoulder.

“I give!” Alibaba said. “You monster! Cut me some slack!”

“Cutting you some slack was what got me into this mess,” Cassim said. “There’s no other excuse for losing to you in Balbadd.”

“Or maybe I was just _that_ awesome,” Alibaba insisted.

“If you say so,” Cassim said, though he clearly did not believe what he was saying. “What are you doing following me anyway? I thought you’d be hanging out with your friends?”

“I am hanging out with my friend,” Alibaba said. “And I just don’t think it’s a good idea for any of us to be wandering around alone. What if something happened?”

_You don’t have your sword_ , he wanted to say, but didn’t. Cassim could sense it too because his hand automatically clenched down to grip the magic tool that was no longer there.

“I was fine running on my wits in Balbadd for five years,” Cassim said. “And that was _with_ the guards actively looking for me for most of that time. I’ll be fine.”

Cassim was right, damn him. Having no other excuses, Alibaba was forced to watch as his friend vanished into the crowd with a half-hearted wave.

“I don’t like him,” Morgiana said, suddenly at his side.

_You would think,_ Alibaba thought _, that I would get used to her doing that eventually._

Apparently, ‘eventually’ had yet to arrive.

“Where’s Aladdin?” Alibaba asked as his heart rate slowly returned to normal. Two heart attacks within thirty minutes couldn’t be good for his health.

Maybe he needed new friends.

“There is a bookseller here who has some books on magic. I think Aladdin wants to buy all of them. Ja’far is trying to talk him down to one. Maybe.”

“Cassim isn’t so bad,” Alibaba said after a moment. “You’ve only seen him at his worst. It really isn’t fair to judge him based on just that.”

“Do you really believe that?” Morgiana said, meeting Alibaba’s eyes with a grounding steadiness. “He lied to you. Betrayed you.”

How to make Morgiana understand? Alibaba knew how bad it looked from the outside. A secret part of him agreed with her, deep down inside where Alibaba refused to acknowledge. But it was such a small part, compared to the years of being a family, of being the only one Alibaba could rely on.

The darkness inside Cassim had been so deep. So total. If it had been Alibaba in Cassim’s place, he knew that he would have succumbed to it. But in the end, Cassim had gotten up again, had taken Alibaba’s hand and walked with him to face the future. Alibaba owed it to Cassim to make sure he never felt that dark ever again.

“I know,” he said. “I know he’s done a lot of bad things. But he’s a good person. If you can’t believe in Cassim, believe in me. I trust him. Isn’t that enough?”

Morgiana took a moment to think it over.

“Alright,” she finally said. “But please, if you _need_ to trust him, at least promise you’ll keep yourself safe.”

“Alibaba! Morgiana!”

And there was Aladdin, as cheerful and optimistic as ever. Trailing behind were Ja’far and Cassim himself, laden down with books.

Alibaba fought down the instinctual _stop no get away from him_ and smiled at his friend.

“Hey Aladdin. Whatcha got there?”

The look on Ja’far’s said _too much_. Morgiana smiled and Alibaba had to swallow a laugh.

“That merchant had _tons_ of books on magic,” Aladdin said, turning to Cassim and pulling one out from the middle of the stack. Cassim frantically tried to balance the now-unstable stack while shooting Aladdin a dirty look. Aladdin just grinned.

“I know I won’t _technically_ be starting training until we get to Sindria but I thought it wouldn’t hurt to read ahead a bit. This one is all about the different types of magic. Apparently,” Aladdin flipped to a dog-eared page and shoved the book in Alibaba and Morgiana’s faces, “Magic is generally divided into eight types. I use fire magic the most, and so does Amon. But our next most compatible magic type is wind magic!”

“No way!” Alibaba said, leaning over the book for a better view. “There’s a chart and everything. Isn’t that cool Morgiana?”

Morigana’s face was carefully blank. She glanced down at the still-open book. Her gaze was not focused on the page itself, but beyond it. After a moment, Alibaba realized what the problem was.

“Morgiana, you can’t read, can you?”

She shook her head.

It wasn’t that Alibaba was surprised. After all, he hadn’t learned how to read himself until he went to live in the palace. There were more important things to worry about when you were trying to just survive.

He just hadn’t thought about it.

He looked back over at Cassim. Cassim didn’t show any interest in the pile of books, but that could have just been because they were magic texts. Right?

“Cassim…”

Cassim shifted from one foot to the other.

“Yeah, me too. You don’t need to be able to read to lead a band of thieves.”

It struck Alibaba again, how much his life had changed in five years. He had only started formal lessons when he was twelve. And even then, he had lived at the palace for only a few years. And it had changed so much. The gap between Cassim and himself was a canyon.

“We can teach you,” Alibaba said, vowing to build a bridge across the canyon. “Right Aladdin? It’s actually pretty fun once you get into it.”

“Definitely!” Aladdin said, and Alibaba was encouraged by the determination in his friend’s face. “Oh! But that means we need to get more books! These aren’t suitable!” He turned to look at Ja’far. “Please Mr. Ja’far?”

“We have little choice,” Ja’far said. Aladdin cheered. “But you will have to put some of those other books back.”

Morgiana followed them silently as Aladdin argued with (read: whined at) Ja’far about putting the magic books back.

Alibaba started to follow them but noticed that Cassim hadn’t moved.

“Cassim?”

“You don’t need to bother,” Cassim said brusquely after a moment, turning away. “Street scum doesn’t need to be able to read.”

“You’re _not_ scum!”

Cassim laughed brushed past him.

“You take things too seriously, Alibaba!” he said. “Hurry up or we’re going to miss our ride!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this is almost the last of the sections I had more-or-less ready to go. (I had some edits to do and a couple of sections to go back and fill in.) I'm also trying to write 500 words a day of anything but that's cutting into my time for this fic. But I will press on!


	4. Chapter 4

They did miss the ship, though it was largely not their fault.

“I knew there was a reason we kicked you out,” Cassim said.

He appeared calm. His arms were slack at his sides and he wasn’t doing that aggressive, threatening thing Alibaba knew he could do. But his smirk was definitely fake and Alibaba wouldn’t be surprised if Cassim had a weapon within easy reach.

He couldn’t use it, of course. Not with a dagger pressed to Alibaba’s throat.

“You shouldn’ta done that boss,” the man holding the dagger said.

His friends were drifting out of the shadows and forming a ring around Cassim, Alibaba, and his assailant. Four, sex, seven, eight…

Cassim was good, but he wasn’t that good. And he was missing his sword. Alibaba struggled a little in the man’s grip. If he could just twist a little more…

His fingers were inches from Amon’s sword when one of the other thugs shouted, “Boss! He’s got a weapon!”

Alibaba let out a cry when the man yanked on his right arm – hard. Then he felt a searing flash of pain as his shoulder was dislocated with a pop and everything went white for a second.

When he was able to think through the pain, Cassim was no longer smirking and one of the thugs was holding Amon’s sword.

“What do you want, Kadir?” Cassim was saying.

“We heard you got a sweet gig now, boss,” Kadir said. “Heard you were running with Sinbad.”

“That is the rumor,” Cassim said. “And?”

“We want in.”

“What makes you think I can do that?”

Kadir yanked on Alibaba’s dead arm. More prepared this time, Alibaba grit his teeth and didn’t make a sound. Kadir looked disappointed, but it got his point across.

“You want your boy back in one piece, you’ll hook us up with Sinbad.”

“How about if you want to stay in one piece, you’ll turn tail and run?”

As Kadir forced Alibaba to the ground to free up his hands, Alibaba caught a quick sight of Cassim pulling some kind of weapon before he found himself with a face full of dirt.

If he wasn’t about to pass out from the pain, Alibaba would have laughed. Once again, he’d been written off as a joke, as useless. Just something to get at Cassim with.

He must have made some noise because Kadir, glanced down at him.

“What’s wrong with him? Some sort of nut?”

Kadir let him up enough to where Alibaba could breathe which he was never ever taking for granted again.

“Why does this keep happening to me?” Alibaba gasped. “I mean, it happened with Aladdin, then with the Fog Troop, and now you guys. I’m not just some pretty face!” By the end, he was slurring.

“What do you mean?” Kadir said.

“Alibaba-“

“Shut up, Cassim. Tired of you,” a hiss because of the pain in his shoulder, “stealin’ my thunder. You jerk. Lemme tell you somthin’. You wanna talk to Sinbad? You shoulda gone through me.”

And he passed out.

 

Alibaba came to with a start. He tried to sit upright but his right arm gave out and he slumped backwards.

“Don’t move, idiot. They didn’t fix your shoulder. They just gave you something to numb the pain.”

Cassim slowly came into view above him. It wasn’t until he saw Cassim’s arms tied behind his back that Alibaba realized he was in a similar state. With a grunt, he rolled onto his side – his left one.

“What happened?” Alibaba said. “We were in that alley…”

“You got your armed pulled off, said the wrong thing to the wrong person, and now we’re locked in the back warehouse of what smells like someone left thrown-up shit sitting around for months.”

“It’s a tannery and you know it,” Alibaba said. Most of the tanneries in Balbadd had been in the slums for obvious reasons. “How long have we been here?”

“Only a few hours,” Cassim said. “But we have definitely missed our ship.”

“Aladdin wouldn’t let them leave without us,” Alibaba said. Then a thought occurred to him. “Hey, why _are_ you here? You could have gotten away easily.”

“And leave them to start chopping bits off of you? No thanks. That Fanalis of yours would have straight-up murdered me.”

“Morgiana wouldn’t do that.” Probably. “Do you think that’s why we’re here though? To throw Morgiana and Masrur off the scent?”

“I think you are giving Kadir way too much credit,” Cassim said. “I’m going to lay down next to you. There’s a blade in my hair. Pull it out.”

“A what in your _what?_ ” Alibaba sputtered as Cassim lay down.

“You gonna take it out so we can escape or what?” Cassim said.

Faced with his best friend’s back, Alibaba couldn’t help but notice how tense it was. Cassim always seemed like a tightly coiled spring, ready to snap into action at the slightest provocation. Cassim lay such that his hair was at face level.

“You washed your hair recently, right?” Alibaba muttered before he shoved his face into the mass of hair in front of him.

“No. I covered it in camel piss because I knew we were going to get captured and ransomed and the only way we could escape was to have you eat my hair. At the top, you moron.”

“Next time, I get the concealed weapon,” Alibaba said.

His teeth scrapped against something metal and Alibaba slowed down. It felt – tasted? – like a razor blade of some kind. Hopefully, that meant there was only one sharp edge.

Cassim held perfectly still as Alibaba worked to extract the piece of metal. However Cassim had put it in there, it sure wasn’t easy to get out. At least, not without hands. Alibaba finally pulled it free with a triumphant grunt and dropped it into Cassim’s waiting hand.

“Oh gross. It’s covered with Alibaba germs.”

“Nothing is grosser than your dirty dreadlocks,” Alibaba said.

With the razor free, Cassim made short work of the ropes binding his wrists. After a few minutes of massaging the blood back into his hands, he did the same for Alibaba. Alibaba felt a twinge at his shoulder as they relaxed forward. The painkiller was wearing off.

Cassim helped him removed his coat and tie it into a makeshift sling.

“Sucks, but it’s better than nothing,” he said, stepping back to look at their handiwork. “Try not to jostle it and for fuck’s sake, don’t try and use it.”

“I make no promises,” Alibaba said. “Please tell me the door to this place isn’t locked from the outside.

Cassim tried the door. “Okay, I won’t tell you.”

Alibaba inspected the door, careful of his broken arm.

“Single beam lock, it looks like. Don’t suppose you’ve got a saw handy?”

They searched the tannery warehouse, bit by bit. There wasn’t anything with an edge to be found, which was not surprising.

“Can we jolt it?” Alibaba said. “Get the bar to pop free?”

“You want to throw yourself at a door and hope the lock pops loose? Go ahead.” Cassim glanced around for a few minutes. “There.”

In the roof there was a hole, just barely large enough for a person to pull themselves through. The problem was that it was directly in the center of the roof, far from any beams or structures that could be used as steps. It would be no problem for Cassim – a running leap, a swing, a grab and out.

Alibaba’s shoulder throbbed.

“Hang tight,” Cassim said, patting him on his uninjured shoulder. “I’ll be right back. Unless you don’t trust me?”

Alibaba was horrified to find that his thoughts had been going along the same lines. He could trust Cassim, couldn’t he? They had come to an understanding in that weird place within the dark djinn, hadn’t they?

The silence between them was uncomfortable and Alibaba didn’t know how to break it. The smirk didn’t slip from Cassim’s face but the lines around his eyes tightened.

“Cassim…” Alibaba trailed off.

“I get it,” Cassim said. “Now’s really not the time though, is it?”

He turned and began to walk away. Alibaba scrambled to say something, anything…

Cassim abruptly turned back and started running. He launched off a small stack of crates, grabbed onto an overhead beam, and swung himself into the overhead beams. Effortlessly, he made his way over to the hole in the roof.

“See you on the other side,” he said before pulling himself through and out.

Alibaba was able follow Cassim’s movement to the edge of the room before the sounds abruptly faded away. He went back to the door to wait.

And wait.

Alibaba had no idea how far into the facility their prison was. It could take Cassim some time to find a way back in, on the other side of the barred door this time, and free Alibaba. There was nothing strange about it taking a while.

Alibaba sat down next to a large crate and leaned back against it, closing his eyes and trying to calm himself. Cassim hadn’t done anything to deserve this kind of distrust. Well, not since Balbadd.

How could Alibaba convince Morgiana to trust Cassim when he found himself having difficulty doing so?

Alibaba had thought that he’d come to terms with Cassim’s betrayal. They’d had that whole heart-to-heart inside the dark Djinn. There was no need to say anything more than that. Or so Alibaba had thought.

But clearly he was wrong, and now Cassim was suffering for it. He saw it again, the strain in Cassim’s eyes when Alibaba could not answer his question right away. Alibaba knew Cassim already felt like an outsider, what with Morgiana and Sinbad’s men and all.

And his brother couldn’t tell him definitively that yes, Alibaba trusted Cassim. Alibaba wouldn’t lie. Not to Cassim, or to anyone else.

But, he promised himself, he would talk to Cassim. Let Cassim know that the issue lay with Alibaba and not Cassim. It was only Alibaba’s old issues that lay between them and that Cassim hadn’t done anything wrong.

Suddenly, the surroundings went from quiet murmurs to loud crashes and… was that the sound of a door breaking?

Alibaba swung himself around the crate, hiding himself from view of the door. He glanced around, looking for something he could use as a weapon, even in his left hand.

Something glittered on the ground and Alibaba found himself staring at the small knife that Cassim had used to cut them free. Just lying there, in the dirt.

It’s wasn’t his sword, but it was still better than nothing. It was awkward, holding it in his left hand. As the sounds grew closer, Alibaba threw himself behind a pile of crates by the door.

And then the door… shattered.

The creates blocked most of the splintering wood but the smallest hung in the air, sending Alibaba into a coughing fit. Before he could even left the razor blade, red hair filled his vision and he found himself lifted into Morgiana’s arms with a yelp.

“Careful with his arm!” Cassim said from behind her. After he had stopped laughing of course.

“Are you okay Alibaba?” Aladdin said.

“Other than the obvious?” Alibaba said. Morgiana shifted to him to take pressure off his shoulder. “Have you guys seen my sword? I think those thieves took it.”

“I’ve got it right here, Alibaba,” Aladdin said, holding it up for him to see. “When you didn’t come back, Morgiana and I came looking for you. We found the thieves eventually because Morgiana could smell you on them. That’s when we got Amon’s sword back.”

“And then they ran into me and now here we are,” Cassim cut in. “Look, we need to get him back to the boat and get that scary guy to look at his arm.”

“Ja’far isn’t scary,” Aladdin said.

To Alibaba’s mortification, Morgiana refused to allow him to walk on his own.

“My legs are fine,” he muttered.

“Faster this way.”

Except Aladdin was walking and he couldn’t help being short. More like Morgiana wanted to make sure that he was okay, Alibaba decided. Still, there was no point in fighting it.

Aladdin and Cassim were arguing about something or other in front of them so Alibaba took the chance to talk to Morgiana.

“Cassim could have escaped. He didn’t because he didn’t want to leave me behind.”

Morgiana glanced down but didn’t reply.

“The only way out of there was this hole in the roof and there was no way I could have gotten out like this. So Cassim went ahead to find you guys and bring you back. And he did, right?”

“I wouldn’t have left you alone. It would have been both of us or neither of us,” she said.

“Cassim did what he could. It’s not his fault I got hurt.” It wouldn’t happen again, Alibaba promised himself. It _wouldn’t_.

Without thinking about it, he hunched his shoulders forward, then gave a loud hiss as his right shoulder throbbed. Aladdin and Cassim’s conversation cut off abruptly.

“We’re almost back, Alibaba,” Aladdin said.

“Yeah, if you could not injure yourself for a whole five minutes, that would be great.” Cassim said.

“I’m fine,” Alibaba insisted, even though he knew none of them believed him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Because of course Alibaba and Cassim aren't going to sort their crap out that easily.


End file.
